MTA HQ tests energy storage system

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has officially launched a "next-generation energy storage system," designed to allow the agency to function in the event of power disruptions from various sources.

MTA has installed three CellCube vanadium flow batteries produced by American Vanadium Corp. on the 25th floor setback of its headquarters building at 2 Broadway in lower Manhattan.

The installation will "demonstrate how vanadium flow battery technology, capable of multi-hour and multi-megawatt energy storage, can enable New York City commercial buildings to be 'smarter' about how and when they use energy, and provide resiliency in times of need," says American Vanadium President and CEO Bill Radvak. "New York is clearly creating a leading energy storage marketplace and the knowledge gained from this demonstration will help realize gains in building and grid energy efficiency, save money for electric ratepayers and, importantly, add a new weapon to the arsenal of resiliency tools in the event of future grid outages."

Among other entities supporting the project: Utility company ConEdison and the Advanced Research Technology Center (AERTC) at Stony Brook, N.Y. Other partners include the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York City Transit Office of Strategic Innovation and Technology.

An analysis from the Clean Technica website notes, in part, that the MTA installation "will draw from the grid (no room on the 25th floor for a solar installation). However, since the batteries are the CellCube line from the German company Gildemeister, which pitches the product as an on site renewable energy storage solution, we're guessing that this high (literally) profile flow battery demonstration will help grow the U.S. market for integrating on site energy storage systems with solar and other renewables."